BACKGROUNDHost immune responses against hepatitis B virus (HBV) induced by antiviral therapy play a crucial role in viral clearance. To further investigate the immune mechanisms underlying the differences between respondents and non-respondents, we analyzed myeloid dendritic cells (mDCs), plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDCs), FoxP3(+) regulatory T cells (FoxP3(+) Treg) and programmed death 1 (PD-1) expression in CD4(+)/CD8(+) T cells in chronic hepatitis B patients undergoing pegylated interferon (PegIFN)α-2b treatment.

METHODSPatients received PegIFNα-2b for 24 or 48 weeks, with follow-up at 24 weeks. The frequencies of mDCs, pDCs, FoxP3(+) Treg, and PD-1 expression by CD4(+)/CD8(+) T cells were evaluated by flow cytometry at baseline, weeks 4 and 12, end of treatment, and follow-up (12/24 weeks).

RESULTSIn HBeAg seroconverters (respondents), the mDC relative frequency decreased at week 4 and then rebounded at week 12. The pDC relative frequency decreased consistently. In non-HBeAg seroconverters (non-respondents), both mDC and pDC frequencies decreased slightly. The FoxP3(+) Treg relative frequency decreased during treatment and remained low during follow-up in respondents, while in non-respondents it decreased slightly during therapy but rebounded after discontinuation. In patients with HBeAg < 17.55 PEI-U/ml at week 12 and < 8.52 PEI-U/ml at week 24, the FoxP3(+) Treg frequency decreased during treatment and at follow-up. In respondents, CD4(+)PD-1 and CD8(+)PD-1 levels decreased at week 4 and remained low at week 12. In non-respondents, PD-1 expression decreased at week 4 but rebounded at week 12.

CONCLUSIONSThe results indicate that the dynamic changes in DCs, FoxP3(+) Treg frequency, and PD-1 expression by CD4(+) and CD8(+) T cells exhibit different trends in HBeAg and non-HBeAg seroconversion patients. During PegIFNα-2b treatment of chronic hepatitis B patients, these changes may be of predictive value for HBeAg seroconversion. HBsAg and HBeAg levels are related to FoxP3(+) Treg frequency.

Adult ; Antiviral Agents ; therapeutic use ; CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes ; immunology ; CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes ; immunology ; DNA, Viral ; blood ; Female ; Forkhead Transcription Factors ; analysis ; Hepatitis B ; drug therapy ; immunology ; Hepatitis B e Antigens ; blood ; Humans ; Interferon-alpha ; therapeutic use ; Male ; Polyethylene Glycols ; therapeutic use ; Programmed Cell Death 1 Receptor ; analysis ; Recombinant Proteins ; therapeutic use ; T-Lymphocytes ; immunology ; T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory ; immunology

Aim: To study the synthesis and anti-inflammatory activity of p-(sulfamyl) benzylidene-linked hetero-cyclic ketone derivatives. Methods: A series of p-(sulfamyl) benzylidene-linked heterocyclic ketone derivatives were synthesized. Anti-inflammatory activity was evaluated against xylene-induced ear oedema in mice and against carrageenan-induced paw oedema in rats. Gastrointestinal side effects in the rats were also examined after continu-ous introgastric administration of these compounds once daily for 7 days. Results: Twelve compounds( LHZ-101-LHZ-112) were synthesized and their structures were confirmed by IR, ~1H NMR, MS and elemental analysis. LHZ-105, LHZ-106 and LHZ-111 exhibited marked anti-inflammatory activity in xylene-induced mice ear swelling model. LHZ-106 and LHZ-111 showed significant anti-inflammatory activity in carrageenan-induced rat paw ede-ma model. LHZ-105, LHZ-106 and LHZ-111 had less gastrointestinal side effects than diclofenac sodium and CI-1004. Conclusion: These results suggest that some of these compounds have the potential for anti-inflammatory activity with few gastrointestinal side effects.

Objective The purpose of this study was to develop a high-throughput micro-plate radiobinding assay (RBA) of glutamic acid decarboxylase antibody (GAD-Ab) and to evaluate its clinical application. Methods 35labeled GAD65 antigen was incubated with sera for 24 h on a 96-well plate, and then transferred to the Millipore plate coated with protein A, which was washed with 4℃ PBS buffer, and then counted by a liquid scintillation counter. The GAD-Ab results were expressed by WHO standard unit (U/ml). A total of 224 healthy controls, 162 patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus(T1DM) and 210 patients with newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes (T2DM) were recruited. A total of 119 TI DM and healthy cases with gradually changing GAD-Ab levels were selected to compare the consistency of micro-plate RBA with conventional radioligand assay (RLA). Blood samples were obtained from the peripheral vein and finger tip in 32 healthy controls, 35 T1DM and 24 T2DM patients, and tested with micro-plate RBA and then compared with the conventional RLA to investigate the reliability of finger tip sampling. Linear correlation,student's t-test, variance analysis and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve were performed using SPSS 11.5. Results (1) The optimized conditions of micro-plate RBA included 2 μl serum incubated with3 ×104 counts/min 35S-GAD for 24 h under slow vibration, antigen-antibody compounds washed 10 times by 4℃ PBS buffer, and radioactivity counted with Optiphase Supermix scintillation liquid. (2)The intra-batch CV of the micro-plate RBA was 3.8%- 10.2%, and the inter-batch CV was 5.6%- 11.9%. The linearity analysis showed a good correlation when the GAD-Ab in serum samples ranged from 40.3 to 664 U/ml and the detection limit of measurement was 3.6 U/ml. The results from Diabetes Autoantibody Standardization Program (DASP) 2005 showed that the sensitivity and specificity for GAD-Ab were 78% (39 positive among 50 new-onset T1DM) and 98% (2 positive among 100 healthy controls). The results of GAD-Ab obtained with micro-plate RBA and RLA were closely correlated (r=0.915,P<0.001) with a high concordance level of 97.5% and a Kappa value of 0.95. (3)TI DM and T2DM patients showed higher positive rates for GAD-Ab than the healthy controls(46.9% and 5.2% vs 0.89% ,X2=123.5 and 10. 1 ,P <0.001 and <0.01, respectively). (4)The consistency of GAD-Ab measurement with RBA using finger tip blood and RLA measurement using venous blood was 96.7% (r =0.946,P <0.001, Kappa value: 0.905). Conclusions The micro-plate RBA of GAD-Ab has high sensitivity, specificity and reproducibility, and can be measured with finger tip blood sampling. It might be a better alternative for clinical practice.

Biomarkers, Tumor ; metabolism ; Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung ; drug therapy ; metabolism ; pathology ; Humans ; Lung Neoplasms ; drug therapy ; metabolism ; pathology ; Oncogene Proteins, Fusion ; chemistry ; metabolism ; Protein Kinase Inhibitors ; therapeutic use ; Pyrazoles ; therapeutic use ; Pyridines ; therapeutic use ; Pyrimidines ; therapeutic use ; Smoking

Obiective To investigate the molecular characteristics of heteroresistant vancomycinintermediate Staphylococcus aureus(hVISA)in China and analyze the differences of the molecular characteristics between hVISA and VSSA(vancomycin-susceptible Staphylococcus aureus)isolates.Methods A total of 3 15 non-repetitive MBSA were collected from the national surveillance program in China in 2007.The isolates of hVISA were confirmed by modified population analysis profile-area under the curve(PAP-AUC).The genotypes of agr and SCCmec were determined by multiplex PCR,and spa typing was performed bv PCR and DNA sequencing.The pvl gene was detected bv PCR Results The prevalence of hVISA was 9.5%(30/315).Among 315 MRSA,SCCmec Ⅲ was the most popular type,which was found in 234 isolates(234/315,74.3%),followed by SCCmec Ⅱ,which was identified in 56 isolates (56/315,17.8%).The rate of SCCmec Ⅱ in hVISA(46.7%)was significantly hisher than in VSSA (14.7%,X~2=18.93,P＜0.001).The most prevalent agr type among 315 MRSA was agr 1 accounting for 73.6%(232/315).The agr 2 accounted for 18.7%(59/315),and agr 3 and agr 4 were very rare in clinical isolates.It was different in agr types between the two groups.The rate of agr 2 in hVISA(53.4%)was higher than in VSSA(15.1%).X~2 value was 26.08 and P value was less than 0.001 through X~2 test.There was a statistical significance in the result.There were 4 spa types in hVISA isolates,including t002 (13 isolates),t037(9 isolates),t030(6 isolates),and 1548(2 isolates).The pvl positive MRSA isolates were very low,accounting for 1.6%(5/315).Conclusions The prevalence of hVISA was relatively higher in China.Compared to VSSA,the majority(53.4%)of the hVISA strains were agr 2,which was obviously different from VSSA.hVISA isolates were more diverse by spa typing,

Purpurin is a common component ofRubia cordifolia L. The study on its molecular target was useful for elucidating the therapeutic material basis and action mechanism ofR. cordifolia. HT-29 cells were used in the cell culture. The highly expressed G Protein-coupled Receptor-35 (GPR35) agonist was used as target. The label-free optical biosensor cellular assay was used to investigate the agonist activity ofpurpurin at an endogenous receptor. The results showed thatpurpurin can cause DMR response in HT-29 cells. And the DMR response curve type was consistent with zaprinast. Its EC50 was 6.142± 0.189μmol·L-1. In addition,purpurinhad desensitization effect on GPR35 agonist zaprinast in HT-29 cells. GPR35 agonist ML145 blocked the DMR ofpurpurin. It was concluded thatpurpurinwas the GPR35 agonist.

Objective To evaluate the effects of sub-acute alcoholism on cardiac structure and function, and investigate the mechanisms of aldehyde dehydrogenases-2 (ALDH2)alleviating the damage of heart caused by acute myocardial infarction.Methods The wild mice with ALDH2 (+/+) (WT group) and mice with knockout type ALDH2 (-/-) genotypes (KO group) were raised and then divided into four groups according to the presence or absence of sub-acute alcoholism: WT group (n=10), KO group (n=16), WT+alcoholism group(WT+E,n=10) and KO+alcoholism group(KO+E,n=10).The mice of WT+E group and KO+E group were fed with high-dose of ethanol(2 g/kg per day for 8 days), while the mice of WT group and KO group were treated with equal amount of saline instead.Acute myocardial infarction models were established in all mice after ethanol administration,and blood ethanol concentration, cardiac function, myocardial infarct size, the activity of ALDH2, and the key molecules of PI3K/Akt signal pathway and caspase-3 mRNA were detected one week after modeling.Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS 17.0.Differences in levels of detected biomarkers between groups were assessed using Chi-squared or One way ANOVA, and P<0.05 was considered to be statistically significant.Results (1) The mortality rates of WT group, KO group, WT+E group and KO+E group were 20.0%, 30.0%, 31.3% and 37.5%, respectively.(2)Compared with WT group and KO group, the blood ethanol concentration was higher and the damage of liver was more severe in WT+E group and KO+E group(P<0.05).(3)The fraction shortening of short axis of left ventricle(FS) and left ventricular ejection fraction were higher in WT group and WT+E group compared with KO group and KO+E group(P<0.05).(4) The area of myocardial infarction was largest in KO+E group, followed by KO group, WT+E group, and WT group (all P<0.05).(5) The activity of ALDH2 in WT group was higher than that in other groups, and the ALDH2 activity in KO+E group was lower than that in KO group (P<0.05).(6) There was no significant difference in expressions of PI3K among four groups.The level of p-Akt was highest in WT group, followed by WT+E group, KO group, and KO+E group (all P<0.05).The levels of caspase-3 mRNA was highest in KO+E group, followed by KO group, WT+E group, and WT group (all P<0.05).Conclusions Myocardial damage caused by acute myocardial infarction can be aggravated by sub-acute alcoholism, while ALDH2 protection can effectively alleviate the damage effects of sub-acute alcoholism on myocardial infarction.The mechanism of protective effects of ALDH2 on acute myocardial infarction may be related to attenuation of cardiocytes apoptosis mediated by PI3K/Akt signal pathway.

Genomic DNA of two fungi Thamnidium elegans and Umbelopsis isabellina were extracted with an amended Cetyltrimethyl Ammonium Bromide (CTAB) method. This modified method uses repeated freezing in liquid nitrogen and thawing with combination of shocking with glass beads to replace of the tra- ditional method. Quality and concentration of DNA extracted by the modified methodwere tested. Compared with the traditional method, higher yield and purity of genomic DNA were obtained with less amount ofmy- celium. The result indicted that this is a simple and highly efficient method, which is suitable to treat many samples at one time and for basic molecular experiments, such as restriction endonuclease reaction and PCR.

Objective:To explore the influence of ischemia/reperfusion (anoxia/reoxygenation)[FK(W16*2。142mmZQ1mm]on immunofunction of endothelial cells(ECs) and effect of intervention with 2-hydroxymethyl-3,5,6-trimethylpyrazine on it.Methods:Model of ECs induced by anoxia/reoxygenation was established to mimic ECs ischemia/reperfusion injury in vivo with human umbilical vein endothelial cell line ECV304.Then 2-hydroxymethyl-3,5,6-trimethylpyraxine was used to intervene the anoxia/reoxygenation process.Nuclear transcriptional factor-?B(NF-?B) was exhibited by fluorescent staining,HLA-ABC,HLA-DR,CD86 and CD54 were detected by flow cytometry.Mixed endothelial cell-lymphocyte reaction(MELR) was conducted to examine the proliferation of lymphocyte,production of IL-2 and percentage of apoptotic lymphocyte.Results:Anoxia/reoxygenation made the ECV304 cell became round,shrunk and abscised,with increased plasma NF-?B,and changed from positive cytoplasm to positive nucleus.HLA-ABC,HLA-DR and CD86 on surface of cells increased but CD54 showed unchanged.MELR showed the incorporation of ~3H-TdR and production of IL-2 increased significantly and the percentage of apoptotic lymphocyte decreased.After 2-hydroxymethyl-3,5,6-trimethylpyrazine intervention,the ECV304 cell shapes recovered,NF-?B expression didn’t down-regulated,but the percentage of positive cells decreased,changes to positve dominant.Besides,reversal changes were shown in other parameters.Conclusion:Anoxia/reoxygenation influences some important immune related molecules in ECV304 cells.2-hydroxymethyl-3,5,6-trimethylpyrazine could antagonize these influences to maintain the immune function of endothelial cells in a relative normal manner.

ObjectiveTo investigate the feasibility and importance of the application of simulation ward in medical practice between classes.MethodsTo divide the interns into two groups:the experimental group of 30 and the control group of 30. Both groups apply the simulation ward to practice between classes and both are assessed at the end of the practice.ResultsTo compare the final score of the experimental group and the control group,and significant differences are found in the following aspects:humanistic care,history taking,physical examination,medical record analysis,the theoretical knowledge examinations with the data of P ＜0.05.ConclusionThe application of simulation ward in medical practice between classes can improve the quality of clinical teaching.